Confused
by 12Redsky34
Summary: In which Natsu and Lucy are both confused, but a little meddling from their friends at the guild will be sure to set them straight again.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys! This is my first attempt at a mini-fic, but I hope I'm not too bad at it. It's been ages since I posted my first oneshot **Cotton** **Candy** (like three years or something… totally go check it out and see how terrible my writing was back then lol) and this is kinda meant as a sort of continuation from that. I tried to make it so you don't have to read it to understand what's going on though. I think I used enough information that you, the readers, can fill in the blanks yourself if you so desire. This fic is set after the fall of the Alvarez Empire.  
_

 _I'm planning on making this a two-shot, though if this gets enough support and enough people want it, I may add a third bonus chapter that will basically be all smut. You guys gotta leave them delicious reviews though! I always love seeing them!_

 _I also feel I should thank **LoadedEel** for her all-knowing, wisdomous ways and giving me a fairly good idea how to get this thing going. After you're done here, if you haven't already read her fics, I think we would both like it if you checked out her profile and read some/all (preferably all) of her stories. They are truly magic in writing._

 _Anyway, enough from me. On to the fic!_

-:- -:- -:-

Lucy was confused.

And not the kind of confused where a bit of research with a pair of gale-force reading glasses would solve all her problems, nor was it the kind that was one of those meaningless little questions that no one knew a definite answer to and a nice hot bath would wash all the questions away.

No, it was the kind of confusion where apparently no amount of research could give her a straight and/or reliable answer (she totally didn't do too much of it already) and it was far too important to her that a bath would make her forget about it.

What's the dilemma, you may ask? Lucy wasn't sure she really knew herself. Ever since the Alvarez Empire fell and things had settled down, especially after her novel had been published and awarded, she had noticed some changes in her partner and best friend.

Not the kind of changes that made him a completely different person. It was subtle little things. Well, that kiss he gave her at the last fair the guild went to (and almost destroyed, of course. Wasn't a Fairy Tail outing without a little destruction) was far from small in her opinion, but it had only happened once so far, and it was part of what was making her so confused.

But everything else was almost so unnoticeable that Lucy was afraid she was reading into things way too hard. Natsu still brawled almost every day with Gray or whoever else decided to tease or insult him, he still ate twice his weight in food, he still seemed to enjoy invading her fridge and sneaking into her bed when she wasn't looking and he still rifled through her drawers even though she had told him countless times to leave her belongings alone.

The subtle changes were in the way he sometimes behaved, mostly. Even before her award ceremony, she had noticed him mellow out ever so slightly. He seemed less restless, in a way, less eager to constantly be out on a job or searching for Igneel or trying to steal an S-class mission to occupy his time with. She didn't know what had prompted this change, but being able to relax a bit after all that had happened came as a blessing to her, and she welcomed it with open arms. She still needed to go on jobs for rent and grocery money, of course, but that was about it.

They also started having very peaceful, quiet moments together when Happy was out trying to win Carla's heart (she was only fooling herself turning away from the blue Exceed nowadays, literally everyone knew she liked him too) where Lucy would either be jotting down ideas for her next novel or reading a book curled up in bed, and Natsu would be there lounging on her bed or couch or sitting on the floor playing with his scarf or a little ball of his fire (she partnered a warning glare with promises that she would make him pay for any damage he caused to help ensure he wouldn't burn down the apartment building). These moments were calm and natural, and not nearly as weird or awkward as Lucy thought they should be.

The thing she was most confused about and afraid of reading into was how Natsu seemed to be touching her more often. And in the most innocent ways, mostly from how he would throw an arm around her shoulders or how he would grab her wrist when he wanted her to see something, or how he would lean against her whenever he was in a food coma from eating too much too fast. They always made physical contact like that, and was often teased for it, but recently it seemed like there was… More, somehow. More contact, more emotion, more… Everything. That wasn't even considering the kiss. She didn't feel like touching that right now.

Lucy didn't know what to make of it.

A part of her wanted to panic over her apparent findings, that perhaps Natsu liked her as more than a friend and was interested in her romantically, but she couldn't deny that she wanted a life with him at her side. Ever since they had met, he had burrowed his way into her life and stubbornly sat in the middle of it, refusing to go anywhere. And over time, she stopped disliking the idea of that. She couldn't imagine what it would be like without being able to see his stupid grin or his fiery, onyx eyes or his adorable pout when he was denied something he wanted. He was such a child in some ways, but at the same time, he was more mature than many other people she had known. He fought dark guilds for a living and pretty much had to grow up on his own without any blood parents or even Igneel to guide him as he matured, other than his friends at the guild. Though, knowing some of the more perverted members, she doubted they were a huge help.

Still, he was unique, and not what Lucy thought she wanted in a man, but she found she didn't mind. She always knew life wasn't a fairy tale, and after joining the guild, she came to learn that almost anything was possible with them. She was sure finding an unexpected love of her life was something they could manage. Well, it was something they had managed at that point, now that she thought about it.

"-u-chan..? Lu?"

But even with all this, she didn't know what to do! Natsu hadn't asked her out, nor had he kissed her again, which was the most worrying thing for her. Had he kissed her at the fair just to steal the cotton candy from her? Was it all just an elaborate prank? If he was interested in her, then surely he would have made another move… Right?

"Lucy!" Levy shouted, and the blonde jumped in her seat.

"S-Sorry Lev, what were you saying?" She apologised, smiling sheepishly at her blue-haired friend.

"You weren't listening to me at all, were you?" The Solid Script Mage commented dryly, a thin eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Uh…"

"Didn't think so." Levy giggled. "What were you thinking so hard about? It's like you weren't even here."

Lucy chuckled nervously. Knowing how overexcited her friends got as soon as they caught wind of something even remotely romantic happening between someone in the guild, she was hesitant to say what was really on her mind.

"Oh, nothing… Just thinking about a book I read last night." She replied. Levy narrowed her eyes at the blonde and she knew she had not been convincing whatsoever.

"You know you're a terrible liar, right Lu? Come on, tell me what's going on!" She pressed, leaning closer with wide eyes.

"Okay, okay fine…" Lucy relented. Knowing how the guild was, they would figure something out anyway. To be honest, she would rather they know what the actual problem was rather than make their own wildly incorrect assumptions. That always led to disaster. "It's… It's about Natsu…" She admitted, blushing. Levy gasped.

"Did he ask you out? Did you say yes?!" She almost screamed, and Lucy hurriedly shushed her, looking around to make sure nobody in the guild heard. Thankfully everyone seemed busy drinking, laughing or brawling.

"No, nothing like that…" She began, wondering how she should explain what the matter was to her best friend. She was normally so fluent with words that she rarely had any problems articulating herself, but the whole situation was complicated enough that she didn't even know where to begin. "It's just… I guess he's been acting… _Different_? Or something like that? I don't really know and I'm pretty sure I'm just reading into it too much-"

"No no, tell me what you think is different." Levy cut her off, and the blonde blinked. There was a glint in her friend's eyes she couldn't identify, and she seemed a little too eager to hear about her dilemma for it to be normal… Though she just chalked it up as the kind of Fairy Tail enthusiasm she expected anyway.

"Okay… Well, he seems less energetic than usual. He still fights and eats a lot and jokes around but he hasn't been dragging me on some job every other day - and it actually seems like I have to drag him on one sometimes - and we've been having really quiet periods where we hang out and do our own thing and just spend time together without anything crazy going on risking our lives, and… It feels unusual but also natural somehow. It's weird. I'm probably just being weird. I'm being weird, aren't I?"

"No, I think it's great!" Levy squealed. "It's so cute you two are having some quiet time together. Is there anything else bothering you?" Lucy flushed, remembering what was bothering her more than anything else.

"U-Uhm, well… You remember that fair we went to after my award ceremony?" Lucy began hesitantly.

"Lu… What happened that you didn't tell me about?" Levy narrowed her eyes accusingly at her best friend. The blonde squirmed in her seat and blushed harder.

"You remember when I said he stole a bag of cotton candy from me and I had to watch him for the rest of the day to make sure he didn't become a sugar rush monster or something?" She refused to meet Levy's eyes but saw her nod from her peripherals. "Well, to get the bag from me, he um, well… He may have kissed me?" Her voice cracked at the memory of the Dragon Slayer's warm, slightly chapped lips moving against hers, effectively rendering her mind blank at just the thought of it.

Levy squealed loudly, earning some glances their way but nothing more. Lucy had to shush her again.

"Levy, not so loud…" She complained.

"Sorry, sorry it's just… I'm so excited for you! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Because I-I thought he just wanted to get the cotton candy from me and it was just one of his stupid methods of getting his way and he hasn't made any other moves to kiss me or ask me out or anything since!" Lucy rushed out, realising she was more upset about the situation than she thought as she finally found the words to voice why she was confused. "I thought maybe he might be interested in me as more than friends, but… I don't know what to think anymore." She added slowly, lower lip wobbling slightly. Was she seriously about to cry over Natsu of all people?

"Oh, Lu, I'm sorry. I didn't realise that you were upset about that…" Levy apologised, trying to think of anything to say that would prevent her friend from crying. Including herself, there were many in the guild who would be all over the place looking for the reason behind her tears and vowing relentless retribution to any potential unlucky person stupid enough for making one of their favourite members cry. "Maybe he does like you but he doesn't know what to do about it? We all know he's oblivious to that kind of stuff…"

"Yeah, but… He's never kissed anyone before as far as I know and surely he'd know better… Right?" Lucy protested weakly. She didn't know what to believe at this point. She knew better than anyone that Natsu would do anything to get whatever he set his mind to. Maybe he just thought it was a good idea at the time. Maybe he would kiss anyone if he thought it would get him what he wanted. The thought only served to make her more upset. Now Lucy really wanted to curl up at home with a big bucket of ice cream and not think about this anymore. Anything to erase the image of the rose-haired male kissing someone other than her, and as possessive and selfish as it sounded, she didn't care.

"Whatever you're thinking, stop it right now." Levy snapped suddenly, and Lucy blinked. She didn't notice that a couple tears had escaped her control, and she hurriedly wiped them away with a sleeve. Thankfully she had donned a pair of the long detached ones she liked to wear occasionally. "Look, I've more or less known Natsu since he was a kid, and he wouldn't just kiss someone randomly like that. Even if he doesn't like you the way you want him to, he definitely did it because he's only comfortable enough around you specifically to pull stunts like that. I've never seen him as close as anyone else than he has been with you."

"I guess…" Lucy agreed, albeit hesitantly.

"And anyway, maybe Natsu's in the same boat as you."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If he kissed you, hoping to figure out if you were interested in him or not from your reaction, then if you didn't make any moves afterward, maybe he doesn't know what to do either. Maybe he's just as confused as you are."

Huh. Lucy didn't think about it like that. There was still one thing bothering her about that though.

"But he's so confident… Why would asking me out be any different?"

"Who knows." Levy shrugged, shaking her head. "Whatever he's thinking, Lucy… You mean a lot to him." The smaller Mage placed her hand over Lucy's, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure that whatever his reasons are for not acting further, his main driving force is to avoid hurting you or making you upset and risk losing you."

"He's such an idiot…" Lucy sniffled, letting out a breathy giggle, though she wasn't quite sure what was funny. "As if he'd lose me _that_ easily. We've been through too much."

"Exactly." Levy grinned approvingly. "Now how about you go home and relax for a bit? Maybe read that book I recommended for you?" She suggested.

"That sounds great, Levy." Lucy smiled gratefully. "Thank you." The bluenette nodded with her own smile and watched as Lucy waved and announced she was going home in her usual fashion.

Levy sat at the table for a while until a few minutes had passed before standing up to search for a certain Fire Dragon Slayer who she had seen walk in as they were talking.

She had some scolding to do and some advice to give.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys! It seems every one of you enjoyed chapter one, so here's chapter 2! I unfortunately do not have a preview for the third bonus chapter, but it is definitely coming, so don't worry about that. One of you asked if this would be in Natsu's point of view, and you will be pleased to know it definitely is! We get to see what he was thinking and his view of the situation here, so enjoy!_

-:- -:- -:-

Natsu was confused.

And not the kind of confused where he could punch the problem to make it leave then eat twice his weight in food and sleep until he forgot all about said problem, nor was it the kind where if he ignored it for long enough it would go away and leave him alone.

He was pretty sure punching and/or ignoring his best friend, partner and love would really make her upset and angry, and that was the last thing he wanted. Not to mention he absolutely despised the idea of hurting her in any way. Just the thought of it made him sick.

Speaking of Lucy, he had walked into the guild that day and almost immediately spotted her talking to Levy near the back of the main hall. He almost always knew where she was if they were anywhere near each other. He had considered going over to say hi to the two, but one look at the heated conversation they were having told him he would get bored very quickly. It was only too obvious they were talking about some book.

So he decided to eat instead. He may have also punched Gray a few times while doing so. What could he say, the guy annoyed him to no end. Those punches eventually led to a brawl, as usual. During the fight, he snuck glances at his blonde-haired partner and noticed her conversation with Levy had taken a turn down a road definitely _not_ involving books. At least not entirely. Lucy looked crestfallen for some reason, and it looked like her blue-haired best friend was trying her hardest to keep her from crying.

While he appreciated his guildmate's efforts to do what he was slacking on at the moment, he felt a surge of concern and immediately made to approach the table and find out what was going on with Lucy. He only made it two steps before someone grabbed his collar and dragged him towards one of the back doors leading behind the guild, and while he thrashed and complained loudly, his captor didn't let go until they were standing in the courtyard.

The Fire Dragon Slayer spun around, assuming it was Gray and ready to punch him, but paused when he saw it was Gajeel standing there with his arms crossed looking simultaneously bored and irritated. Seeing the other male obviously didn't want to fight, Natsu scowled and relaxed slightly from his battle stance.

"What do you want, Metal Head?" He growled, more than irritated that he had been prevented from trying to comfort his partner.

"I'm making Levy's job easier."

Um… That made no sense to Natsu, no matter which way he turned it in his head.

"What?" He narrowed his eyes, brows furrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, I know you and Shrimp are planning something, and that it has everything to do with Bunny Girl. Whatever they just finished talking about, I know for a fact she'll want to talk to you about it." The raven-haired man grunted, scowling and tapping his foot impatiently as if he had something else to do other than babysit Natsu.

"What? What would they be talking about that she'd want to-"

"There you are, Natsu!" The woman they had been discussing (well, one of them anyway) interrupted him, striding through the open space with a determined look on her face. Gajeel's annoying scowl turned into an equally if not more infuriating smirk, and he chuckled his queer laugh.

"Gi hee. What took ya so long Shrimp?" He teased, sharp fangs glinting in the sunlight.

"I was looking for Natsu, thank you _very_ much Gajeel." Levy quipped, crossing her arms. "Now, go away. Me and Natsu have some things to talk about."

"Yeah yeah, you go ahead with your little schemes. Try not to break Bunny Girl while you're at it, it's annoying when she's upset." He replied gruffly, striding back into the guild and slamming the door shut. Despite his harsh statement, Natsu knew Gajeel was just using tough words to hide his gooey interior. He was almost as intent on finding and beating up anyone who made the girl upset as Natsu was. He let his expression soften at the thought. The guild really loved his partner, even if she didn't think they did.

"Natsu Dragneel! I can't believe you kissed Lucy just to steal cotton candy from her!" Levy scolded, making the male stiffen and blush in mortification.

"H-Huh?" He stammered dumbly, eyes blown wide. "Wha… How did you find out?!" He settled for asking, wondering if someone had seen them and nattered off to her.

"How else? Lucy told me." Levy replied. Ah. That was the most reasonable and likely explanation. "And I'm kind of annoyed neither of you told me. Especially you." She added, puffing her cheeks out. It was cute, but when Lucy did it she made it way cuter. That's why he loved to annoy her so much.

"W-Well, I… I wasn't exactly thinking about it at the time, so…" He trailed off helplessly, looking at a pebble in front of his shoe. He wondered if kicking it would make him look even more like the shy dork he really was when it came to romance.

"And that is part of why I want to talk to you. Why did you kiss her?" Levy demanded, hands propped on her hips.

"I… Don't know." He admitted quietly, eyes averted to the side. "After I did it I hoped she would show me if she liked it or not, but… I dunno… I couldn't tell." He pouted behind his scarf, a little put down by the memory. She hadn't kicked him like he expected her to, but she hadn't kissed him back or asked for another one any time after the whole event, so he wasn't so sure he would call that a victory on his part. More like a stalemate. A stalemate he didn't know how to break in his favour, if it was even possible in the first place.

This whole situation was a confusing battle of emotions he didn't know what to do with, as if he was given weapons he had never seen or heard of before and was expected to use them like an expert on the first try. He knew from experience that was pretty much impossible. So he stopped trying after the first go-around, at least for now.

"Natsu, you can't just do that and not do anything else afterwards!" Levy scolded, frowning disapprovingly at him.

"Then what was I supposed to do?!" Natsu asked desperately. He had found somewhat unexpected help in Levy when trying to find ways to figure out what to do about his feelings for the resident Celestial Mage, and they had talked a couple times already about what he should do but neither agreeing on a solution as of yet.

She had suggested romantic dates and flowers and gifts, and while he wouldn't mind the gifting part, he vetoed the idea of acting romantic for the sake of winning Lucy's heart. He had argued that he wanted Lucy to love him for who he was, and as desperate as he was for her to return his feelings of affection, he refused to turn towards acting like someone he wasn't to get it.

He had suggested taking her on a mission and bringing it up somehow then (just winging it, basically) but Levy had quickly struck down that idea, her most compelling argument being that Lucy was very unlikely to appreciate him telling her how he felt in the middle of a fight with a ragtag bunch of bandits or something. He begrudgingly agreed.

"Definitely not leave her hanging! She was about to get very upset today about the whole thing you know!" Levy snapped. Natsu flinched like he had been struck, eyes filling with worry and a vague horror.

"She-She was crying about me kissing her?" He asked, heart sinking in his ribcage as he remembered that his partner did indeed look very close to bursting into tears before he was dragged outside. "Oh Mavis. I knew it. She doesn't like me that way. She probably hates me now. I mean, I think that was her first kiss and I basically stole it from her. Fuck. What am I gonna do to make it up to her? Will she ever look at me the same way again? Dammit. I really messed up. Maybe some gold will make her happy. Girls like shiny things, right? Yeah, gold will-" He had begun muttering to himself and pacing in small circles, panicking over the new findings and trying to find a way to resolve the situation. A small hand on his chest stopped him, however, and he noticed Levy had stepped forward to halt him in his tracks.

"Calm down, Natsu. Lucy doesn't hate you." She said firmly but soothingly. Natsu swallowed but nodded silently. "She was upset because you kissed her and did nothing afterwards, not because of the kiss itself." She explained. "She didn't know what to make of it, and she certainly didn't know if you were actually interested in her from just one kiss."

"Oh." Natsu murmured, not knowing what else to say. It made sense to him. He was exactly the same. Her lack of a reaction made him doubt himself, and he kept quiet and refrained from any further action. This really was a stalemate, he mused silently.

"Now, since I refuse to be the one to tell Lu-chan that you like her, as much as I want to, you have to suck it up, be a man, and tell her yourself. Take her somewhere nice or somewhere you're both comfortable, and tell her." Levy said with a no-business tone, poking Natsu in the chest. "Tell her you're sorry for making her confused. Even if she doesn't like you back, it's something she should know." Natsu nodded, but he wasn't convinced.

"But if she knows and doesn't like me… what will that do to us? Will either of us be able to look at each other the same way again?" He asked helplessly, his main and most crushing fear in this situation coming to the surface. Fear had been a foreign concept to him until his fight with Gildarts in the S-class exam, and while he better understood it now, he still struggled in the area of dealing with it.

Most of the time punching the thing that scared him made it go away, but it wasn't an option in this situation.

"Honestly. At this rate, you're never going to find out one way or the other." Levy sighed. Natsu agreed, but it didn't make it any better. "Look at it this way; would you rather ask her and know you had at least tried getting her to be with you, and maybe even reap positive rewards from it, or would you keep silent and forever ask yourself 'what if', never knowing for sure what her feelings for you are?"

She made a good point. One he couldn't argue with. And one he knew the answer to.

"I'd rather ask her." He replied strongly, fists clenching at his sides. He knew all too well what things like 'what if's did to people, spending too much time as a kid asking himself what would happen if things had been different, if he would have still been with Igneel. Over time he accepted that it was what it was, and that life had just dealt him his proverbial cards and left him with the hand he had now. And while he missed Igneel with all his heart, he was glad to have his friends and family and, in more recent years, Lucy, by his side.

Part of him was now afraid to ask the 'what if'. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what a life without Lucy would be like, and if fate had handed him a different deck, he didn't know if he would have met the wonderful woman that had planted herself in his life like the brightest star in the sky that was always there every night without fail.

"Good." Levy nodded, grinning approvingly. "Now go! Don't think, just do!" She exclaimed, shooing him back towards the guild. "She's most likely back at her apartment, so that's where you'll find her. I'd better be haring positive results from you tomorrow!" She almost threatened, and Natsu grinned without a verbal reply as he re-entered the guild.

"This better work by morning, or I owe Mira a lot of money…" Levy muttered to herself.

-:- -:- -:-

Natsu walked down the streets towards Lucy's apartment, formulating a rough plan of action in his head as he followed her scent back to her place. Even if Lucy had not gone back home, he had memorised her scent thoroughly by now and would have had no problems tracking her through Magnolia. Her path never strayed from the direction of her apartment, however, so he was safe in assuming she was indeed home.

He didn't have any details to flesh out his plan, but he had always been a man of action, so he didn't worry too much. For now, his plan consisted of going to her place, making sure they were alone, and just telling her outright that he liked her. Or maybe he would go straight to love. He didn't know yet.

Levy had seemed surprised when he admitted his love for the Celestial Mage, and asked him how long he felt that way. He hadn't been sure himself when exactly he had fallen for her, but part of him felt like he had loved her from the start. Maybe not the way he did now, but he had definitely loved her as a friend and partner, someone he could rely on and who he knew relied on him.

Eventually those feelings had only grown and strengthened into what he felt in the present. He knew for certain that there would be no one else for him, that she was his lifelong Mate. But he also knew that if she rejected him (and crushed him in the process), he would rather she be happy than force her into being with him just because it would tear him apart to see her with someone else.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he noticed he had arrived at Lucy's apartment and jumped up to her windowsill almost completely unconsciously. He slid the window open, smiling to find it unlocked, and hopped inside, shutting it behind him as he did a quick perusal of his surroundings.

Lucy was sitting at her desk, writing in her notebook and pausing occasionally to think before resuming. Natsu stood staring at her for several minutes, entranced by the image of her hair gleaming in the sunlight coming through the window like spun threads of gold. She looked so peaceful sitting there in her little apartment.

He cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak, but she heard him and jumped with a squeak before turning around to face him.

"Oh, it's you Natsu." She breathed, hand going to her chest and a small smile gracing her face. "Don't scare me like that." She playfully scolded, turning back to her notebook. Natsu stood there dumbly for a few minutes, staring at her and contemplating the best way to initiate his plan.

After several moments of prolonged silence and virtually no movement on his part, Lucy turned around to face him again, this time with a confused frown.

"Natsu? Is something wrong?" She asked worriedly, brow furrowed as she looked him up and down. Nasu looked at her then, and as their eyes met, everything he had planned on saying to her vanished like smoke being blown away in the wind.

His body moved without conscious thought. With long, determined strides, he walked up to where she was seated at her desk and grabbed her upper arm, ignoring her startled squeak as he tugged her to her feet. He swept in, squeezing his eyes shut as their lips met, and he tried his hardest to convey everything he couldn't find words for in the way he moved against her.

He tensed slightly, preparing for a kick to the face or somewhere equally painful, but he jolted slightly when slim fingers reached up to tangle in his hair and pull him closer. He growled, the sound rumbling through their connected lips as he leaned forwards, his hands going around her waist and pulling her snug against his body. Her little mewl at the action emboldened the pink-haired male, and he grinned, daring a peek at her only to see her own eyes closed as she sank against him and his touch.

They broke away, panting slightly, and Natsu almost wanted to crow in victory. If her returning the kiss wasn't a simultaneous return of his feelings, he didn't know what was.

"N… Natsu?" She breathed, voice cracking.

"Lucy, I love you." He interrupted before she could overthink what had happened. Her eyes widened significantly and he belatedly realised his blunt statement probably wasn't much better, and he started to panic again. "L-Like, I love you love you. As in, I love everyone in the guild, but as a family, y'know? The way I love you is different and stuff. And I've felt this way for ages but we always had something going on and I really wanted to find Igneel but now everything's kinda slowed down and I've had time to think I realised I wanted to, um, pursue you? Ugh that sounds terrible now I've said it-"

"Natsu…"

"A-And when I kissed you at the fair I wasn't thinking about it you just looked really cute and I wanted to know what it was like and I realised I'm such a jerk for kissing you and not telling you what it meant, especially since it was your first kiss-"

"Uh, Natsu-"

"But Levy told me off for being a wimp and even if you don't love me back that's fine, okay _maybe_ not really, it would kill me if you chose someone else, but I would deal with it because I want you to be happy and if you're happy with someone else then I'd rather that happen than force you to be with me and be miserable for the rest of your life-"

"Natsu!"

He clicked his jaw shut at her shout, hurriedly hunching his shoulders to hide his blush in his scarf. Though he wasn't sure it was entirely effective since he felt like his whole head was about to light on fire.

He was more embarrassed that he ended up spewing everything he could put into words at her like some word fountain or something like that, but he hoped that despite his obvious inexperience and nervousness that she more or less understood what he was telling her.

"You… You love me?" Came the tentative question from his blonde partner, and he lifted his eyes to meet hers from their previous position looking at their feet. He nodded resolutely, knowing that now his feelings were out in the open, he had no reason to lie to her. He just hoped she didn't go running for the hills, or he wasn't sure he would know what to do with himself.

"I love you, Luce. Even if you move on and forget about me, I'll never love anyone else." He rumbled, making sure she saw he was completely serious and not pulling a prank on her. He didn't want there to be any more confusion between them about their feelings for each other.

Luckily it seemed luck was on his side for once, because in the next moment Lucy was practically jumping into his arms and kissing him like he'd never been kissed before. His arms immediately went back around her waist and he made a low noise of pleasure, loving how it felt to have her pressed against him like this.

It was heaven.

They broke away again, and Natsu gazed at her beaming smile with hope in his eyes.

"Does that mean you love me too?" He asked tentatively, grinning when she nodded wordlessly, her hair bobbing everywhere with the force of her movements. Joyful tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, and as Natsu leaned in for another kiss, he lifted his hands to wipe away the few drops that escaped her control.

Feeling a surge of playfulness, giddy from his elation at finding out his love returned his feelings wholeheartedly, he lifted her and spun her around, grinning into her neck and her surprised shriek and giggles while she grabbed at his shoulders for support. He tripped and fell onto her bed, the blonde landing on top of him and knocking the breath from his lungs.

Natsu hardly cared. The woman he loved was in his arms, smiling at him like she won the lottery and he was the reason behind it, and he didn't think he had ever been happier in his life.

"I love you so much, Luce." He murmured, smiling up at her as her hair fell around their faces like a golden curtain. A few strands landed on his mouth, and he blew them away, grinning at her giggle at his actions.

"I love you too, Natsu." She replied, voice thick with emotions he could barely even begin to name. He gave her a nuzzle with the tip of his nose, purring deep in his chest when she returned the action all to willingly and added stolen little kisses here and there.

They spent some time like that, swapping words of devotion and love and interrupting each other for kisses.

And as the sun began to set, neither noticing as they engaged in a tickle fight, both knew without a doubt that there would be no more confusion about their relationship with each other from there on out.


	3. Chapter 3

_A week later, and I finally have this monster of a chapter written :'D This chapter is literally 7.5K words lmao, and it completely ran away from me. Also pretty much turned out mostly in Natsu's POV._

 _So, about the first 3K or so is more interaction and the guild's reaction, the rest is pretty much all smut with a couple little balls of fluff thrown in for extras. Oh, also! I have another fic in the works (still in planning stages) for an AU that I think you guys will enjoy. Currently I have no idea when the first chapter will be out, but keep your eyes peeled for it! Thanks for reading this fic, and I hope you enjoy the final chapter!_

 ** _This chapter is NSFW! Watch for purity marks '-x- -x- -x-' to shield thine pure eyes!_**

-:- -:- -:-

The next day found the two new lovers standing at the entrance to the guild, Natsu with his arm wrapped firmly around Lucy's waist and pretty much everyone in the guild staring at the two with wide eyes, jaws slack. Except Mirajane, who had fainted not long after they announced they were now officially dating.

Levy was the first to move, jumping up from her seat with a wide grin.

"I'm so happy for you guys! You treat her well, Natsu!" She gave the Dragon Slayer a warning glare, and he chuckled sheepishly with a small blush.

"Of course I will." He replied without hesitation. Lucy smiled at his statement and leaned her head against his shoulder. The rest of the guild seemed to recover, including Mira, and proceeded to swarm the duo, the men dragging Natsu away for drinks and congratulatory claps on his back and the women pulling Lucy towards one of the larger tables to squeal over their new relationship.

"Damn, Natsu. Never thought you'd have the balls." Gray commented with a smirk as Natsu took a sip of the fire whiskey handed to him by Kinana. Mira had joined the other girls to crowd Lucy, and the pinkette shuddered at the thought of being hounded my Mira _and_ Erza. Lucy really was strong to be dealing with both those demons at the same time. Though he supposed being a woman helped somewhat.

"More than I can say for you, Ice Cube. When are you gonna grow a pair and tell Juvia?" Natsu smirked, giving his rival/best friend a nudge with his elbow. Gray paled slightly and glanced over at the table where the girls were clustered, and Natsu dared another glance. Okay, maybe being a woman didn't save Lucy from the demons that were Erza and Mira. She looked a mixture of amused, nervous, and like she wanted to crawl into a hole to hide.

"Gi hee, Flame Brain has a point." Gajeel chuckled, sitting down beside Natsu opposite of Gray. The Ice Mage scowled at him.

"Like you're any better, Metal Mouth." He snapped. Natsu sighed as they began bickering, knowing it wouldn't be long before they started throwing punches, and looked back towards Lucy. He was so happy she returned his feelings. He was grateful that Levy made him suck it up and tell her. He vowed to find out if there were any books she wanted and buy them for her as a 'thank-you' gift. Maybe Gajeel would help him with that, though he doubted the other Dragon Slayer would appreciate him getting gifts for Levy when it was his job.

"Have you guys seen Happy anywhere?" Natsu asked, interrupting the argument around him.

"Lily said he and the other two were going to visit the rest of the Exceeds. They'll be gone a couple days." Gajeel replied. Natsu nodded, hardly bothered by the answer. It just meant he and Lucy had some time to themselves to acclimate to their new status. He was sure Happy would have no problem adjusting to having Lucy around, but he wanted some time to figure out what kind of boundaries they wanted to set for each other.

Which reminded him, he should probably tell Lucy what happened when Dragons found their Mate and they knew of each other's attraction. With the way all the girls were acting, though, he figured it would probably be best to wait until they were alone tonight. It was like poking a hornet's nest; a swarm would be ready to greet you with very painful stings if you didn't stay away.

Oh well. In the meantime he would enjoy his fire whiskey and wait until the girls were done hounding Lucy.

-:- -:- -:-

"How did he confess?"

"Was it romantic?"

"Did you sleep together?"

"Was he good?"

"I bet he grabbed your boobs."

"Canaaaa…" Lucy whined, flushing heavily at all the questions being thrown at her. She was glad Wendy wasn't at the guilt yet, otherwise she was afraid all this ruckus would scar the poor young Dragon Slayer for life.

"What? I still think he did." The alcoholic brunette shrugged uncaringly, taking a large gulp of whatever she decided to drink today.

"Well? Did you go all the way?" Levy demanded, eyes glinting.

"No, not yet…" Lucy murmured, her mind inadvertently imagining what it would be like. Would he be like he was every day, wild and passionate and burning? Or would he be shy, like she had seen when he confessed to her yesterday? Maybe some middle ground of the two?

"Aww… But never mind that then, how did he confess? We need every. Single. Detail." Mira pouted, but a dangerous aura soon surrounded her and made Lucy shrink in her seat slightly.

"W-Well… I was at home writing yesterday, trying to get past a block I've been having recently, and he came in and was strangely quiet. I asked him what was wrong, and he kinda looked conflicted or something for a moment, and just came up to me and kissed me." She hid her face in her hands at the squeals that rose up around her.

"Did he do anything inappropriate?" Erza's menacing voice cut in, looking very close to storming over and beating Natsu up if her glare was any indication.

"N-No, of course not." Lucy reassured. "I trust him. He wouldn't do that to me if I didn't want it."

The girls 'awwwed' dreamily at her admission, cooing over how romantic it all was, and Lucy took a chance to glance at Lisanna. Part of her was worried that her new relationship with Natsu would hurt her guildmate, especially since the two had started becoming closer in recent months.

"Is something wrong, Lucy?" The youngest Strauss sibling asked, noticing her expression.

"O-Oh, well…" Lucy paused, biting her lip as she contemplated how she would word what she wanted to say. "Is all this… Okay with you? I know you and Natsu were close when you were kids…" She settled for saying, unsuree how else to put it. Much to her relief, the white-haired Mage waved her hand dismissively with a giggle.

"No, of course not!" She exclaimed. "I'll admit, at first I was a little upset, but it wasn't a big deal. And anyway, after I started seeing how you two interacted, it was too cute to get in the way of. You're perfect for each other!" She giggled again.

"You still didn't tell us how he confessed! I hardly think you'd just accept a kiss as a confession." Levy interrupted, pouting. Lucy chuckled.

"You know me too well, Lev. Well, after he kissed me, which surprised me, he said that he loved me. And then he started just… saying all kinds of things like he was nervous. It was really cute. In the end I had to yell at him so he would just shut up and let me give my end." She snorted quietly at the memory, joined by giggles from the rest of the girls.

"That's _adorable_. It's about time you got together. Literally everyone but you could see you were eye-fucking each-"

"Cana!"

"-other for ages, but now methinks you two can actually do the do, if ya get what I meeean." The brunette ignored the interruption and smirked, giving Lucy a suggestive wiggle of her brows. The blonde blushed and looked away with a pout, refusing to answer.

"Honestly, Cana, you could be less crude." Erza sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Well, enough of that, it's time to PARTY!" She yelled, throwing her arms in the air as pretty much everyone cheered in agreement.

And everything went crazy, classic Fairy Tail style.

Music began playing, alcohol was consumed like it was going out of style, and pretty soon people began clearing a space in the middle of the guild as a sort of makeshift dancefloor. Lucy watched for a bit, sat next to her new boyfriend (she had to get used to calling him that), before Natsu grabbed her hand with an eager grin and dragged her with him to dance.

The beat of the drums from the music thrummed through the floor of the guild and through their chests as they began moving to the rhythm, Natsu with his arms wrapped loosely around his partner's waist and Lucy with hers wrapped around his neck.

She blushed at their close contact and hid her face in his chest, feeling his chuckle at her actions.

"You okay, Luce?" Natsu teased, leaning down slightly to nuzzle her ear. He felt emboldened at being able to make Lucy blush, but he was still careful. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"Y-Yeah." She breathed, peeking up at him. "I just… Almost can't believe we're actually…"

"Together now?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

Lucy looked up at Natsu with wide eyes, unaware that he felt the same.

"I'll admit, I was really scared you were gonna kick me and never want to see me again if I confessed… it was the only thing truly holding me back from telling you earlier. I didn't wanna lose you." He murmured, loud enough to be heard over the music but not so loud that anyone other than Lucy would hear. "You mean so much to me… if it was the difference between staying as friends and keeping you or telling you how I felt and losing you… I would have preferred to stay friends."

"Oh Natsu…" Lucy sighed, blinking tears away. Sure, he had told her he loved her several times both last night and this morning, but she didn't quite realise the depth of his affection for her. She leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to his, smiling at Natsu's low noise of contentment. The arms around her waist tightened their grip so her body was pressed firm against his, and he returned the kiss eagerly.

It was innocent at first, just the movement of their mouths against each other's, but it quickly became much more heated as Natsu let his hand wander and his tongue explore, still attentive for any signs of resistance as she let his slick pink muscle past her lips.

He groaned, tugging her even closer so they were pressed tightly against each other. Natsu was pretty sure he heard a wolf whistle from one of his guildmates somewhere, but he had Lucy clinging to him and mewling into his mouth, so he ignored it.

Their movements became bolder as the music got louder and the beat thumping harder, the rest of the world lost to them as they swayed against each other. Natsu could feel his arousal increasing, and was pretty sure Lucy could feel it too since she was pressed intimately up against his front. He ignored it for now, though. He was much more interested in the way her lips tasted and how her tongue- oookay never mind he was *very* interested in himself now.

Lucy felt a smirk lift the corners of her lips as she ground her hips against his, trying to fight down a blush (and failing) as she felt the stiff rod pressing against her through their layers of clothing twitch in excitement. It helped that Natsu was vocal, his almost pained groan at her action making her slightly more confident.

"Gods, Luce, that felt amazing." He panted, eyes darkened to the point they were almost pitch black as he stared hungrily at her. She felt heat rush through her veins when he let his eyes sweep over her form like a physical caress, and she shuddered. A lazy smirk pulled at his lips from her reaction, and he tugged her forwards so that he could press his forehead to hers.

They stood there, absently swaying to the music, and Natsu knew he was the luckiest guy alive to be able to hold a woman like Lucy this way.

"How about we… Go back to my apartment? For some quiet?" Lucy's voice brought him from his thoughts, and he grinned with a nod. He was one hundred percent behind that idea. The smile she gave him made him return it, leaning down to give her a quick nuzzle before letting her go to sneak out of the guild hall.

They walked hand in hand down the street as the evening sun bore down on them, a light chilly breeze making the heat much more bearable. Neither spoke, both content to simply be in each other's presence.

"Are you hungry?" Lucy broke the silence, smiling up at him. Natsu shook his head, waiting for Lucy to fish out her keys as they stopped in front of the door to her apartment.

"Nah. Mira got me some fire whiskey so I'm good for now." He replied, following the blonde into her apartment as she shut the door behind him.

"Okay. I'm gonna go change, I'll be back out soon." Lucy called from her bedroom, and Natsu watched her for a moment as she dug around for her desired nightwear and padded into the bathroom without replying. He was slightly preoccupied, remembering that he wanted to tell her about some of the more technical parts of the instincts Dragons and Dragon Slayers alike possessed, especially involving those they loved romantically.

Part of him was afraid she would find a lot of it weird, but he remained hopeful she would be understanding even if she didn't like it. His most pressing concern was the Marking process, as Igneel had told him he could hurt his Mate would he ever find one if he wasn't careful, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Lucy.

He sat on her bed and was about to flop onto his back before Lucy came back out of the bathroom in a nightgown that reached down to her knees, white in color and lined with modest yet appealing lace. She smiled at him, but tilted her head.

"Are you okay? You look like you're thinking really hard." She asked, sitting down next to him and taking one of his hands in both of hers. He smiled at her, knowing he could rarely hide anything from her. She always knew him like that.

"Yeah. Just thinking about how to explain what I think you should know about us Dragon Slayers." He replied, watching her blink at his admission.

"Okay… Maybe you could start with what it's about?" She offered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Natsu had to refrain from pouting. He had really wanted to do that for her.

"I guess." Natsu agreed, falling into a moment of thought. "Basically it's about what happens when we find a Mate. In other words, who we fall in love with." He began. "You're my Mate, because I know there will never be anyone else for me, ever. That's what it means to have a Mate. If you feel the same way, then I'm your Mate as well."

"Mates? I think I read about it somewhere… You… Think I'm your Mate?" Lucy blushed, peeking at him shyly from under her lashes. Natsu growled slightly, tugging her closer so he could gaze into her eyes as seriously as he could.

"Not _think_ , Luce. I _know_. I know with _every part of me_ that you're my Mate. We don't throw that term around like I've seen some throw around 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend'." He pushed his nose against her cheek, smiling gently at her. "Mates are way more than that. They're until we die. Even if our Mate dies before us, we still won't find anyone else who will ever satisfy us as much as our Mate does."

He purred when she let go of his hand to tangle her fingers in his hair, carefully scratching at his scalp. He sank into her touch, eyes closing as he moved his head to nuzzle the crook of her neck. Lucy sighed and tilted her head back to give him more access, and he growled in approval against her throat. He felt an urge to sink his teeth into the crook where her shoulder met her neck, but he held back, instead giving the area a playful lick before pulling back.

He couldn't stop the grin from spreading over his face at the sight of her eyes fluttering open and the slight flush that adorned her cheeks. He saw confusion in her deep brown eyes and gave her a gentle kiss for reassurance.

"As much as I would like to continue where we left off at the Guild, I still want to explain some things to you." He stated, smirking when Lucy blushed and looked away in embarrassment. He took both her hands in his and smiled when she glanced up at him, pleased when she smiled back.

"What is it you want to tell me?" She prompted.

"Well, the most important thing is about Marking." The Fire Dragon Slayer began, lifting one of his hands to tap the crook of her neck where he had licked her. "When Dragons find a Mate, we normally Mark them to tell other creatures to back off. It's sort of like a claim of possession. But uh, you're not an object to be claimed, obviously, it's mainly so that everyone can see you have a Mate and it's only really for other Dragons and Dragon Slayers because regular people don't normally recognise it for what it is which sucks because it means you'll still have a much of perverts staring at you all the time-"

"Natsu-"

"And normally the Mark goes at the crook of the neck where it's most likely to be seen but it can he placed anywhere and it'll also give me a vague idea if what you're feeling especially if it's a really strong emotion - the stronger the emotion the better I can tell - but otherwise it's just a marking and it won't like drastically change the way you look-"

"Mavis, Natsu, be quiet!" Lucy snapped. Natsu, realising he had rambled again, blushed heavily and hid his face in his scarf.

"Sorry." He murmured, looking at his lap before a pair of soft hands cupped his cheeks and guided him to face her gentle smile.

"Don't be sorry, I just didn't want you to go off on a complete rant or something." She reassured. "But I never knew you could be so… Rambly. How did I never see this before?" It was more directed at herself, but Natsu found himself answering the question anyway.

"It's your fault! I never did this kinda thing until you came along and made me fall in love with you! I swear your weirdness is contagious." He pouted playfully, resisting the urge to smirk when she puffed her cheeks out at him in mock anger.

"I'm not weird! And I have no control over weather or not you fell in love with me! Just like I had no idea I liked stupid dorky guys with pink hair and a stupid grin who always sets my house on fire and eats all my food and drags me off into life-threatening adventures-"

"Now who's rambling?" Natsu interrupted, allowing a smirk to quirk his lips up. She pouted and looked away from him, looking grumpy and simultaneously adorable. "Told ya your weirdness was contagious." He chuckled, interrupting her before she could yell at him. "But that's okay, I still love you." He purred, rubbing his nose against her cheek. She blushed and evidently decided not to yell after all, instead giving him a sheepish smile.

"So… Were you telling me all this because you want to Mark me?" She asked, bringing them back to the point of the conversation.

"Basically. One more thing though." He nodded, squeezing her hands in his for a moment. "You don't have to make any decisions right now, but I'd prefer if we were Mating when I Mark you." He explained, rushing to finish as she stuttered in embarrassment. "I'm not being a perv, I promise. If I just Mark you any time, Igneel told me it'll hurt. Like, really hurt. He said if I Mark you while we Mate, then it'll feel good instead. He explained why, but I wasn't really paying attention. Something about body chemicals changing the way you react to being Marked. But yeah, I just don't wanna hurt you." He finished.

"O-Oh, really? I had no idea…" Lucy murmured, her embarrassment fading away in the face of Natsu's concern for her.

"That's why I was tellin' ya, Luce." Natsu teased.

"Oh hush." Lucy huffed in return. "So… Did you want to Mark me t-tonight or..?"

"N-No, well… I mean, if you're okay with it then sure, I don't mind… But like I said you don't have to decide tonight. We have time." He said earnestly, trying to make sure she knew he didn't want to force her into Mating, nor did he want her to think he just wanted her for pleasure. This was more than that.

Lucy seemed to fall into thought, so Natsu settled for tugging her against him so he could hold her. He'd wanted to be able to do so like this for a long time, and now that he could he was taking every chance he got.

They sat that way for a while, Lucy thinking while Natsu simply enjoyed holding her. She shifted, and Natsu loosened his hold on her so she could turn around and straddle him with a shy smile. He raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"You know…" She began, tracing a finger along the middle of his chest through his open vest as she did her best to keep her eyes on his. "I did enjoy what we were doing earlier, and… I think I'm up for trying out some more things…" Natsu blinked at her. He hadn't expected her to make her decision now. Not that he was complaining, of course.

"You sure?" He asked, brow furrowing slightly. "I don't want you to make your choice now just because I said I wanna…" he trailed off when she smiled and pressed a finger to his lips to silence him.

"I'm sure." She replied, no hesitation in her voice. "As much as I love you, I trust you too, if not more."

 **-x- -x- -x-**

Natsu beamed up at her, pulling her into a deep kiss even as he smiled against her lips. "Gods I love you." He sighed, his hands carefully sliding along her back, testing the waters and exploring. She hummed, her arms curling around his neck as she pressed her front against his. Natsu took a moment to adjust their position, laying himself down on the bed so that she was sprawled out on top of him.

Normally he would have put himself on top, but for now he wanted to let Lucy lead, let her set the pace and be in control. Not to mention it was probably for the best in case she changed her mind and wanted to stop.

Allowing himself to be a little bolder, he slid his hand under her top and began pawing at her smooth skin, smiling against her mouth when she curved herself into his touch. Her own hands began to explore his chest, tracing the ridges of his muscles and sliding against the smooth, slightly scarred panes.

He let his right hand curl over her backside as the other encountered the band of her bra and began sliding down her side. He made sure to go slowly, giving her plenty of time to back away and tell him to stop if he was going too far, but no words of protest ever came.

He squeezed the soft flesh under his right hand experimentally, intrigued when she moaned shakily into his mouth and clutched his biceps as she sank against him. He repeated the action, this time rewarded with a mewl and a light thrust of her hips against his. It caused delicious friction against his member, which was slowly but steadily hardening between them, and made him groan quietly.

"Aah… Natsu." Her breathy moan had him pulling back from the kiss to look at her as he touched her, chuckling when she whined at the loss of contact. Her hands slid up from his biceps to to bury themselves in his hair, and he smiled when she tried to tog him back to her.

"Easy, Luce. I just wanna look at 'cha." He explained, voice low and gravelly. She nodded her acceptance, focusing her own exploration on his chest again as he continued to explore her sides and back. The hand at her ass moved to trace the skin of her belly, hesitating when it tensed at his touch. "Is this okay?" He asked, worried he had overstepped a boundary. She nodded with a smile.

"Yeah. Just surprised me." She assured, but he still hesitated, both hands holding her sides as he thought. "Natsu? It's okay, really." She called, worried when he lapsed into silence.

"We should have some safe words." He said, giving her a determined stare. "I really don't wanna make you uncomfortable and it'll make me feel better if we have a definite indicator of what we're good with or not."

"Okay." Lucy hummed, nuzzling his neck. "What were you thinking about?" There was a hint of playfulness to her tone as she let one of her smooth, soft hands trail down his abdomen, halting just above his waistband and making him pant in anticipation.

"I dunno- ugh." He broke off with a grunt when she playfully traced the tent in his pants with an index finger. "S-Something you'll- ghhh- remember, like- ahh…" He had to stop every now and again to let out pitiful noises as she teased him, either tracing his cock through the fabric or giving a gentle squeeze before returning to her previous touches. "L-Like colors, or somethin', I dunno." His hips bucked when she pressed down with her finger, her surprised giggle making him feel a little shy for some reason.

"It has to be something you'll remember too, Natsu." She murmured, a serious air to her tone. "They'll be your safe words as much as they'll be mine. Colors sounds like a good start…" She hummed, a playful hint returning as she left his member to stroke the firm muscles of his abdomen once more. It was very distracting to say the least. "Perhaps we could go for a simple 'red for stop, green for go' for now." She suggested, and Natsu nodded with a swallow.

"S-Sounds good." He agreed, voice cracking when her fingertips dipped under his waistband before retreating. "Damn, Luce. Never took you to be such a tease." He growled when she repeated the action, going a little further, but not by much.

"I don't know what you mean, Natsu." She replied coyly. "Maybe you could give me a hint to what you want? You know, a little indicator?" She gave him a heated glance, and he caved easily. He was like putty in her hands.

"Mavis. I want you to touch me. Please, Lucy." He groaned, hips lifting in a silent plea. She gave him a little smile that made his heart leap in his chest as she complied to his request, undoing the button to his pants and pulling the zipper down before pulling his pants off enough to reveal an impressive bulge in his boxers. Which were red, of course. Natsu loved the color red.

"Like this?" She teased, lightly resting her palm against the tented fabric. He scowled at her, no real heat to the expression as he was more focused on her hand being so close to touching him. Just one more barrier taken away and she would be touching him directly.

"More. Please." He groaned.

"I don't know what you mean." She practically sang as she pressed her lips to the fabric, giving him small, barely-there kisses.

"Fuck, Lucy. I said I want you to touch me. _Please_. Without the boxers." He relented, head falling back as he panted. Her teasing was riling him up, and it was taking everything he had to remain still under her.

"Since you asked nicely…" Her purr had his blood heating up in a way he had never felt before, different from how his Magic normally warmed him but in a much more addicting way. He lifted his head to watch her as she tugged at the band of his boxers, and he lifted his hips enough for her to pull them down to his knees where his pants had been left.

He watched her eyes widen slightly at the sight of him bare, and his head fell back again, an embarrassed flush heating his cheeks and neck. He wasn't sure why he felt so exposed suddenly, and it was a little frustrating given how much he wanted her to touch him despite that, but it was there all the same.

"Natsu?" Her soft voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he glanced down at her. She looked worried, shifting slightly in her place between his legs and worrying her lip between her teeth. "You know you can use the safe words too, right? I don't want to make you uncomfortable either…" She trailed off.

"Yeah, 'course I know that." He reassured, grinning crookedly at her. "It's just new stuff, I've never done anything like this before and it kinda feels weird that I want the things I do, but it's okay." He gave her a sunny grin in encouragement.

"Okay, good. I was worried for a bit there." Lucy replied, relieved smile lighting her face as her eyes fell back down to his crotch. He wasn't sure why she kept biting her lip when she looked at his cock, and he didn't know why it made a spike of pride mixed with desire zip through him, but he wasn't about to question it. They could figure it out later.

A tentative hand reached for him, slim fingers cautiously closing around his length and giving a tentative stroke. Natsu sighed through his nose, wishing her grip was stronger but letting her explore. He fully intended on exploring her as soon as she was satisfied with him, and he figured fair was fair.

The next stroke had him moaning, the movement slightly more confident and firm than the first. That seemed to be what she needed, for the next thing he knew she was pumping him with a satisfyingly firm grip around his girth, strokes long and even, and he moaned loudly, unabashed, every time the friction was particularly good.

A new scent hit his nose then, and he let out a low growl. He knew what it was from being with Lucy almost every day ever since they met, and while he was sure he could have smelt it earlier at the guild when they were grinding on each other (for lack of a better term), the smell of their other guildmates and alcohol and sweat was much more potent. Now, though, with the two being the only ones around and very little other than Lucy's normal scent to distract his nose, he could smell the warm, mouthwatering spice that she took on when she was aroused.

He glanced down at her, taking in the way she licked her lips right before she leaned down to run her tongue all the way from the base to the tip, where she spent a moment to trace the little slit. A hiss escaped his control as his head slammed back, spine arching up at the unexpected pleasure that coursed through his body. A guttural noise rumbled through his throat and past his lips as hers wrapped around his tip, and he could barely form coherent thoughts any more.

She sank down on him, and he gritted his teeth around a whine at the wet heat that enveloped him. One of his hands went to the back of her head to guide her movements as she began bobbing on him, and her moan that vibrated around his member made his hips buck.

"F-Fuck, Lucy, that's amazing!" He praised, legs tensing on either side of her as molten lava coursed through his body. He felt her smile around his cock, and he tensed as an unfamiliar tingle began spreading from the core of his very being all the way to his fingers and toes. "Ahhh, Lucy, I think- I-I'm gonna-"

She pulled off him with a wet 'pop', leaving him gasping slightly in surprise and minor disappointment. While he wanted to reach that peak she had been dragging him towards, he also didn't want this to end as quickly as that. There was more he wanted to do, if Lucy agreed with what he wanted, and that required some preservation on his part.

The blonde in question had scooted up his body to straddle his stomach, smiling down at him with flushed cheeks and lightly ruffled hair from when he had tangled his fingers in it moments ago. He huffed out a final steadying breath and grinned, the action still a little strained as he let his hands settle over her hips. He also noticed that she was very much still clothed while he was practically half naked, and he decided to fix that very soon.

"Why'd ya stop?" He asked playfully, tracing the waistband of her skirt.

"I figured you'd want to have a chance to try out what I was doing." She replied just as playfully, flicking her hair over one shoulder. "Although before you do that, I think I would like you out of your vest." She added, tugging on the golden hem. He smirked at her even as he pulled it off, pleased when her eyes wandered over his chest, to his shoulders, to his arms.

"No fair. I might as well be naked and you're still fully clothed." He growled, reaching up to pull at her shirt. "You need less clothing too." She flushed but obliged, obviously shy if the way she refused to make eye contact after throwing her shirt to the side was any indication.

Natsu paused, worried as a thought occurred to him.

"You okay, Luce? You remember the safe words, right?" She glanced at him with a small smile, one of her fingers twirling a strand of hair around itself.

"Yeah, of course." She replied. "I'm just embarrassed because… How did you put it again? It feels weird." She teased, lip quirking in a playful smirk. "I'm fine other than that. I promise."

Natsu smiled fondly. She always was good with words and knowing how to make him feel better in pretty much any situation.

With her reassurances in mind, he lifted his hands to slide them up her sides to her covered breasts, squeezing experimentally and getting a feel for their weight in his palms. He sat up, making Lucy squeak and slide down so she was straddling his lap, and he had to ignore the way she pressed against his member that was still very hard and begging for release. He dismissed it for now. He had other things to focus on.

His head went to her neck, where he nuzzled the spot he so desperately wanted to Mark, but held off. Soon, he told himself, soon. Instead he moved to her collarbones, which he nipped and sucked at hard enough to leave little hickeys on her skin. The primal side of him purred at the sight of the darkening marks, and while it wasn't permanent, it was still a pretty good indicator that his Mate was truly his and his alone.

"Mmmn… Natsu…" Lucy breathed, her hands tangling in his rosy hair. He chuckled and grabbed the upper rim of one of the cups of her bra with his teeth, pulling it down over the curve of her breast before latching onto the nipple revealed.

He had to stop himself from clenching his teeth when she cried out and clamped her thighs around his hips, bringing their centers into firm contact. His hands went to her hips in an effort to keep her still, but weather or not it was intentional, she seemed determined to keep rubbing against him whenever he did something she enjoyed. He wasn't sure if he would call it torturing or rewarding.

He pulled away from her breast, panting heavily as he took in his partner's flushed face and lidded eyes, mouth slightly open as she panted almost as heavily as him. He had never seen her look so enticing as she did now, hair tangled and mussed and deep brown irises swimming with desire and love.

"Luce… Damn, you gotta stop doing that." He rasped. Her coy smile was his only reply as she now, completely intentionally, rocked her hips against his. A low whine mixed with unintelligible curses hissed through gritted teeth, and Natsu bucked his hips.

"But Natsu… You're taking too long." She purred, nipping his earlobe. "You're the one driving me crazy."

"Luce, seriously, I wanna make you feel good. And I don't wanna rush and make you feel like I just wanted to blow off steam or somethin'." He insisted, moving to play with her breasts again, but surprised when she shoved his shoulders to the bed.

"Natsu Dragneel…" Her growl made him still in surprise. Who knew she had a side like this? "Stop stalling and _take me_. Make me yours, Mark me, whatever you want, just do it already."

Natsu gazed up at her in no minor amount of awe, and evidently he stared for too long, because the next moment she was huffing and wiggling her panties off, tossing them to the side. It seemed she was as wound up as he was, especially considering the fact that the scent of her arousal was so potent it was hard for him to smell anything else through it. He was practically swimming in her.

Shaking himself from his stunned stupor, Natsu fisted himself in one hand as the other closed over her hip, angling himself as she lifted in preparation. The reality of what they were about to do struck him then, and it seemed she was the same, but neither hesitated as they aligned and she slowly sank down on him.

They groaned out loud at the sensations of each other, and Natsu was fairly certain he had just died. Weather he was in heaven or hell was up for debate, though.

"Ugh… Luce…" He moaned, cracking an eye open to look at her, though he quickly became concerned at the pained grimace he was met with. "You okay? What's wrong?" He asked, both hands cupping her cheeks in case she was crying. He really didn't want her to cry.

"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine." She forced out in a strained voice, sounding like she had been punched in the gut or something equally as painful.

"You… Don't look fine…"

"It's normal… J-Just give me a minute."

Natsu nodded, wrapping his muscled arms around her back and pulling her down so he could hold her close to him. Even if he was the one hurting her, which made him feel terrible since she was making him feel _amazing_ , he would do his best to comfort her no matter what, and he knew she liked cuddling with him.

It only took a minute or two before the blonde draped over him made an experimental rock of her hips, startling a hiss from him as her warm, wet walls slid around his cock. He opened his mouth to ask if she was feeling better, but all that left him was a low moan as she sat up and began carefully lifting her hips slightly before lowering back down. His hands automatically went to her hips, though he wasn't sure if it was to ground himself, her, or to help her motions. It was probably a combination of all those things.

Natsu let his control slip for a moment and bucked his hips, smirking in a feral show of sharp teeth when she cried out as he simultaneously forced her down as far as she could go. That smirk fell a moment later into heavy panting and groans when she recomposed herself and upped her pace, the thrusts of her hips becoming more fluid and confident as she got used to the motions.

The rose-haired mage growled, his arms going back around her and pulling her down so they were pressed chest to chest, and he began meeting her movements with short bucks of his hips. Their skin began to slap noisily against each other as moisture from their sweat and liquid arousal made their skin slick.

"Ugh, Lucy," Natsu breathed through the guttural noises rumbling through his throat, "I wanna… Wanna Mark you… Make you _Mine_ …"

"Ahh, yes, Natsu…" Lucy mewled in reply, a part of her anticipating the bite for reasons she didn't understand. "Mark me, please, Natsu!"

Sharp canines tore into the crook of her neck only a second later, and a scream tore through her throat as electrifying warmth rushed through her blood and settled in her stomach. The sensation combined with the thrusts into her that suddenly became rough and desperate was what made her fall over the edge, her thighs clamping around his hips and her fingers digging into his shoulders.

Natsu retracted his fangs from his Mate's flesh, panting heavily as his final few thrusts had him whining before he tumbled over the same edge as her, following her into bliss. The feeling of his warmth spilling into her core only intensified the sensation, and she sighed as she sank bonelessly against her lover.

The two laid there for several minutes, simply basking in each other's presence (and the afterglow) as they tried to catch their breath and regain their composure.

"Holy shit." Natsu huffed, hands absently sliding up and down Lucy's back. "That was… Wow." A breathless giggle was his only reply, and he closed his eyes, purring contentedly, when she lifted one hand from his shoulders to tangle in his hair and massage his scalp. He blindly pressed a kiss to the top of her hair, some of the tangled strands tickling his nose, but he hardly cared at the moment. "Now I think I see why Cana and Gildarts and all the other guys talk about this stuff so much." He mused, chuckling.

"Yeah." The blonde agreed. "Definitely didn't think it would be that good though."

"Mmm." He hummed, then blinked his eyes open when he remembered what happened when they started. "You're okay, right? I didn't hurt you any more?" Her chocolate brown eyes opened slightly, a lazy yet playful glint in them as she smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah. Quite the opposite, really." She pressed a kiss to his neck where she could reach without moving too much. "You made me feel *very* good when all was said and done."

"Good." Natsu said, a relieved chuckle following shortly after. He shifted her hair away from her neck to inspect the Mark he left on her skin, making sure it didn't bleed too much after the initial bite. "It didn't hurt when I bit you, did it?" She shook her head, and Natsu tilted his as a thought occured to him. "What did it feel like?"

"I dunno… It kinda felt like a lot of heat was rushing through me. And it felt really nice." She admitted, shrugging. "But it didn't hurt at all." She added to enforce her reassurance that he did indeed make her feel good after the first twinges of discomfort faded. She felt him relax then, and smiled.

"Good."

"We didn't even take all of our clothes off."

"Huh… I guess we didn't." Natsu agreed. True to her statement, she still had her bra on with one cup pulled down, her skirt was still bunched up around her hips, and he still had both his pants and boxers on bunched at his ankles and his scarf wrapped around his neck.

A moment of silence passed before the two burst into laughter at the situation. Both had been so caught up in their activities that neither had bothered to take off more than was necessary at the time. Natsu broke off with a hiss when their movements reminded him that he was still nestled inside her and now very sensitive, so he carefully pulled himself out and rolled them onto their sides.

"Mmm… I could fall asleep for weeks right now." Lucy mumbled into his chest when they had settled into comfortable positions.

"Same." Natsu agreed. He didn't expect to be so drained, but he was and cuddles after sex with Lucy sounded like the best idea in the world right at that moment. "Night Luce. I love you." He murmured into her hair, arms banded protectively around her waist and back.

"Night, Natsu. I love you too." She replied in kind, face nuzzled to his chest and the rest of her body curled against his front.

Both were sticky and sweaty, but neither cared as they drifted to sleep, simultaneously deciding to let their future selves deal with it in the morning.


End file.
